Within
these pages of Pirates & Privateers,
you'll find articles on all aspects of maritime piracy
from ancient times to modern day. Pirate Articles
is an annotated list of all the articles I've written. Pirate
Links is an annotated list of the best web sites
that specialize in piracy and life at sea from early days
through the Age of Sail. The Book Review pages
house the reviews on the latest fiction and non-fiction
pirate and maritime books for children and adults. Other
highlights include specialized bibliographies, piratical
places to visit, pirate dates in history, piracy quotes,
and information about The Rebel
and the Spy, my current novel-in-progress that
started me on the path of piracy.

If you'd
like to be notified when I post a new article, as well as
to read the latest pirate-related news that doesn't appear
here, subscribe to the Pirates
and Privateers Newsletter. If you'd like
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happenings at Pirates and Privateers.

As always,
if you have a question about pirates, please write and ask.
If you'd like me to write about a particular pirate or
subject, let
me know. One cautionary note to those searching for
genealogical
information. Historical records about pirates are
rare. Much of what is known comes from government records,
including court trials, and the few first-person accounts
written during a particular time period. This information
rarely contains details pertinent to what you need to
identify and/or learn about ancestors. The simple fact is
that the vast majority of pirates' names remain unknown. I cannot answer this
type of question, so rather than contact me,you should check
genealogical depositories and websites, as well as
national archives.

A special note to
teachers and students: Answering questions and
locating information is something I love to do. If you
need help with a project or report, please contact me.
Should you use any of my articles or reviews, please let
me know and remember to include the proper citation. The
majority of material contained within this website is
copyrighted.

During
a short span of time in 1716, two pirates
terrorized merchant ships in the West Indies.
Their names? Samuel Bellamy and Olivier Levasseur.
Laura Nelson discusses their plundering in this
article about two pirates just kicking around the
Caribbean.

Pirate
Quotes of the Month

I
am a free Prince, and I have as much authority
to make War on the whole World, as he who has a
hundred Sail of Ships at Sea, and an Army of
100,000 men in the Field; and this my Conscience
tells me.

In the first thirteen
years of this century, 2,919 seafarers became
hostages in Somalia. Some have been released,
others have not. This video talks about what these
hostages deal with, even after they're released.(Source:
Maritime Security Review)

Dryad
Maritime has released the stats for the second
quarter of 2105. The link provides access to the
full report as well as an infographic that can be
downloaded. While not devoted only to piracy, 120
attacks have occurred and at least 23 crew members
have been taken hostage. (Source:
Maritime Security Review)

The majority of the artwork on these pages is copyrighted
by the artists.To obtain permission for their use please go to ClipArt.com.

The backgrounds used on Pirates and Privateers are from
WebGround.

The Rebel and the Spy

The Rebel
and the Spy, my current Novel-in-Progress, centers
around Jean Laffite and the Battle of New Orleans.
Below are links to places depicted in the novel and a
resource list for those seeking information on Jean Laffite,
Pirates, Ships in the Age of Sail, the Battle of New
Orleans, Andrew Jackson, and many other subjects.

Each month I alert readers to
the posting of my latest piracy article and book reviews,
new additions made to the site, and interesting tidbits
about piracy. If you'd like to receive the Pirates
and Privateers monthly newsletter, just
complete the form below.

Note to subscribers:If you fail to receive your
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returned it to me for one of several reasons: they deem
it to be junk mail; your mailbox is over quota; access
to your account is denied; or you changed e-mail
addresses and forgot to notify me of the change.
Contact me and we'll try to solve the problem. If
your newsletter bounces two months in a row and you
don't contact me, I just delete you from the subscriber
list.